Paris 4 Nov. 1999

"Security and Interdependence" Speech by Lord Robertson, NATO Secretary General to the French Institute For International Relations (IFRI) Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs, Pour commencer, permettez-moi de féliciter l'Institut Français des Relations Internationales à l'occasion de son vingtième anniversaire. Depuis sa création en 1969, l'IFRI a acquis une réputation de source indispensable de recherche et d'analyse indépendantes, et je suis très heureux d'être ici aujourd'hui parmi vous alors que l'Institut entame sa troisième décennie. Compte tenu de l'excellente réputation de l'IFRI, je n'ai évidemment pas été surpris par le thème choisi pour sa conférence : il s'agit d'un sujet à la fois passionnant et majeur - la relation entre sécurité et interdépendance. Discuter d'interdépendance en France est une heureuse coïncidence : en effet, n'est-ce pas ici que, voici un demi siècle, deux Français ont jeté les bases de ce qui allait devenir la preuve même du pouvoir de l'interdépendance. Je veux bien entendu parler de l'Union Européenne. Quand Robert Schumann et Jean Monnet ont proposé la création de la Communauté Européenne du Charbon et de l'Acier, leur vision allait bien au--delà d'un simple accord économique entre pays européens. Ils savaient parfaitement que l'interdépendance économique construirait la prospérité et la confiance entre des nations qui commençaient à peine à se remettre de la guerre. Ils avaient bien compris que l'interdépendance favoriserait la sécurité. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, their vision has borne fruit -- more, I dare say, than they could have hoped. In just 50 years, Western Europe has been transformed -- from a group of nations shattered and divided by conflict, to a Union of tremendous stability and prosperity. More than that, the EU is helping build security and promote stability around the world, through robust political and economic initiatives. The European Union is truly a remarkable testament to the power of interdependence to promote stability. The same is true of NATO. When NATO was founded in 1949, its members made a commitment to integrate their defence planning, to create a unified command structure, and, a little later, to establish the North Atlantic Council, where decisions are taken unanimously. And again, the results were nothing short of remarkable. Since its creation, the North Atlantic Treaty area has been a bedrock of stability in a chaotic world -- an area where war has become simply impossible. Simply put, the post-war history of the Euro-Atlantic area has taught a very clear lesson -- that interdependence builds security. The transatlantic link, described by President Chirac as indissoluble, is the epitome of interdependence. But there is a flip side. The advantages of interdependence come with a price. The Internet, for example, is a wonderful tool, connecting the entire globe, allowing people and computers to share information at an unimaginable rate. But sometimes a virus gets in the system -- and because everyone is connected, everyone is vulnerable. Security today is similar. The entire Euro-Atlantic area is becoming more and more a single security space. And that means that crises, and their effects, are no longer hidden behind Walls or Curtains. We cannot avert our eyes from humanitarian emergencies. We cannot keep refugees from our shores. We cannot shield ourselves from the economic impact of conflict. And we cannot pretend that our values apply only to us, but not to our neighbours. The Kosovo crisis brought this home to us very clearly. Our security was linked to the security of our neighbours -- and therefore, we had to take action to solve the crisis. France played a very full part in bringing about that resolution. We took action -- and we were successful. The situation in Kosovo today is vastly different than it was just a year ago. Yugoslav forces have left, and the oppression of Kosovar Albanians is over. Almost a million refugees have returned in only a few weeks. The Kosovo Liberation Army has been disbanded. We have created an unarmed civilian group. And slowly, we are helping to create the conditions for lasting, multi-ethnic peace. This will need the continuing involvement of all those concerned with the security of the continent. The Kosovo crisis has made it clear once again that Russia and the West are organically interdependent when it comes to security. Russia played a key and positive role in the diplomatic process that convinced President Milosevic to accept the terms of the international community -- a diplomatic process supported by NATO's military campaign. And now Russian forces are operating well together with NATO troops as part of KFOR, as they already did in SFOR in Bosnia. But that is only one element of NATO-Russia interdependence. From peacekeeping to nuclear safety to arms control to terrorism to economic stability -- these are problems that affect the West and Russia together. And Europe is more secure if the West and Russia work together to solve them. It is one of my priorities as Secretary General to develop this relationship as fully as possible. Kosovo also demonstrated that our Partners, in the Partnership for Peace, have become an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic security system. During the air campaign, our Partners in the region provided invaluable support to NATO. And now 21 Partner countries are providing soldiers to help keep the peace in Kosovo. Indeed, it is fair to say that the entire Kosovo operation would have been impossible without their help. Just as their stability would have been catastrophically undermined without NATO. This demonstrates clearly how interlinked security in the Euro-Atlantic area has become. Finally, the Kosovo campaign has also taught us that to remain effective in future, NATO's Allies must make efforts to improve their co-operation and their contributions. They can only be sure to be able to defend their interests if they acquire the right capabilities: interdependence means accepting responsibilities not relying on the overwhelming might of a single Ally. Our Defence Capabilities Initiative is designed to address these requirements, and one of my priorities as Secretary General will be to see this initiative thoroughly. The Europeans are also working to develop Europe's role as a security actor. The development of a European Security and Defence Security must be designed to strengthen the Alliance. It will also enable Europe to act when its North American partners do not choose to do so. From my stand point as Secretary General, interdependence in NATO must be enhanced by: improved capabilities, inclusiveness for all allies and indivisibility of the North American/European link. Mesdames et Messieurs, Je pense que l'histoire récente a clairement montré que l'interdépendance politique, économique et militaire favorise la sécurité. L'évolution de l'OTAN repose sur ce principe lorsque les Alliés coopèrent plus étroitement entre eux et que nous construisons des relations de coopération solides à travers la zone euro-atlantique. Merci de votre attention.